And now a word from our Holy Father...

A saying of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew speaks to us: “Come to me,
all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt
11:28). Life is often wearisome. Work is tiring; looking for work is
exhausting. But what is most burdensome in life is a lack of love. It
weighs upon us never to receive a smile, not to be welcomed. Certain
silences are oppressive, even at times within families, between husbands
and wives, between parents and children, among siblings. Without love,
the burden becomes even heavier. I think of elderly people living
alone, and families who receive no help in caring for someone at home
with special needs. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden”,
Jesus says. Dear families, the Lord knows our struggles and the
burdens we have in our lives. But he also knows our great desire to
find joy and rest! Do you remember? Jesus said, “… that your joy may
be complete” (cf. Jn 15:11). He said this to the apostles and today he
says it to us. Here, then, is the first thing I would like to share
with you this evening, and it is a saying of Jesus: Come to me, families
from around the world, and I will give you rest, so that your joy may
be complete.